Obama Reaches Out To Clinton Backer In New York

Obama Reaches Out To Clinton Backer In New YorkJan. 19 - Just because New York's former state comptroller is backing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton doesn't mean rival Sen. Barack Obama can't call.H. Carl McCall said Thursday that Obama is trying to make inroads on Clinton's home turf, and he was among the Democrats to hear from Obama's campaign. McCall ran for governor in 2002, the state's first black candidate for governor from a major political party.While McCall said he was sticking with Clinton, "the Obama thing is interesting, maybe even exciting and I think will appeal to a lot of people," he told The Associated Press.McCall said he planned to meet with the Illinois senator who announced his plans this week. "He's been reaching out and is coming to New York soon and wants to meet with some people," McCall said."I'll listen to him and maybe even give some advice," he added.Nonetheless, McCall said he expected Clinton to soon announce formation of her own presidential exploratory committee and once that happened, "it will be clear New Yorkers are with her."------WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Barack Obama may not have officially said he is running for president, but already his constituents want to know: Does he have enough experience to occupy the White House?"My expectation would be if I ran, I will run through the gauntlet, and people will ask me tough questions just like you just did," Obama replied. "And hopefully, the American people will decide whether or not I've got the experience."Obama, D-Ill., took questions Thursday from a group of about 100 visiting constituents who were eager to hear how he might perform if he were to win the presidency."There are reporters everywhere here," Obama joked. "I appreciate you doing their dirty work."During the session, there was so much interest in Obama's presidential ambitions that it was difficult for Illinois' senior senator, Democrat Dick Durbin, to draw much attention.Obama, 45, formed a presidential exploratory committee on Tuesday, and plans to make an official announcement Feb. 10. He assured the audience that any presidential campaign would not detract from his Senate voting record or his work on their behalf."I think what you try to do is to manage to make those votes that are going to make a difference and you are going to miss votes eventually that where your vote is not decisive," he said.The Illinois Democrat also gave his quick view of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid."The crisis in Social Security, I believe, is overstated in the sense that, if we make some adjustments to the system, as we did in 1983, we can assure the solvency of the system," Obama said."Medicaid and Medicare are genuinely in crisis, because health care inflation is so outstripping the expansion of the economy that it is gobbling up more and more taxpayer dollars," he said.http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=politics&id=4951679